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Part 1, Chapter 4, Section 6
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Demons, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Politics and Self-Interest
Ideology and Extremism
Morality and Nihilism
Herd Mentality
Atheism vs. Belief in God
Summary
Analysis
Anton accompanies Stepan to Varvara’s house on Sunday. Stepan is supposed to meet with Shatov, and they will determine whether the marriage between Stepan and Darya will go forward. Stepan and Anton are waiting when Shatov enters. Shatov doesn’t seem to want to speak to Stepan. Shatov asks a servant if Varvara and Darya will be coming soon. The servant says that Varvara has gone to the cathedral for services while Darya stayed behind in her room because she was feeling sick. Just then, they hear footsteps, and they’re surprised to see Liza enter arm in arm with Marya.
The novel presents a minor shock—that Liza and Marya have met and are apparently happy to be together—before explaining (in the following sections) how that situation came about. That is an example of a narrative technique that builds suspense by presenting information outside of a strictly chronological order, a technique that Dostoevsky repeatedly uses throughout the novel.
Themes
To explain how that has happened, Anton details Varvara’s trip to the cathedral earlier in the day. It was the first trip of Yuliya (the governor’s wife) to the cathedral, and the event drew a crowd. After the services were finished, Varvara moved to kiss the cross. Yuliya moved to let Varvara kiss the cross before her, and the courtesy in itself seemed like a subtle slight. As Varvara left and walked down the stairs, a woman with a paper flower in her hair threw herself at Varvara’s feet. Varvara looked around and asked if anyone knew the woman. No one responded.
Varvara and Yuliya are at odds with each other. Notably, the novel is frequently concerned with etiquette and manners. In this case, Dostoevsky points out how Yuliya treating Varvara with what seems to be good manners can also be interpreted as an intentional slight. The novel establishes the nuances of interactions like these to establish the social, political, and moral norms that will play a pivotal role as the novel continues.
Themes
The woman said she wanted to take Varvara’s hand. Varvara gave the woman ten roubles and then offered her her hand. The woman kissed Varvara’s hand rapturously. A man then spoke up and said that the woman was from the Lebyadkin family. It was Marya. Marya said she wasn’t a Lebyadkin, but her brother was. Liza then approached Marya and Varvara. Marya had come to the cathedral with Yuliya, and she asked Yuliya if she could accompany Marya and Varvara back to Varvara’s house. Yuliya said yes. Marya got up, and Varvara turned white when she realized Marya had trouble walking. Everyone noticed Varvara’s reaction, though no one knew why she reacted like that. Varvara, Marya, and Liza then got into the carriage together. Marya laughed hysterically the whole way to Varvara’s house while Varvara seemed lost in a dream.
Notably, Marya doesn’t ask Varvara for money but instead says that she wants to have Varvara’s hand, ostensibly so she can kiss it. Marya’s reaction to Varvara, and Marya’s joy when she travels to Varvara’s house, suggests that Marya at the very least knows who Varvara is and wants to be sure that she shows Varvara respect. Marya also says that she isn’t a Lebyadkin, but her brother is (Lebyadkin is a surname). That response suggests one of two things. Either Marya isn’t Lebyadkin’s sister or Marya is legally married and has taken her husband’s surname, so she is therefore no longer a Lebyadkin on paper.
Themes
